If I wanted to buy a TI just for houston tracker, what calculator should I buy?Is there any other accessory needed?

Maybe you could answer in the FAQ on the website, for TI-newbies like me ;-)

Thx!

I'd recommend getting a TI-82 or 83, they're usually the cheapest and have slightly more RAM. In the end it doesn't really matter, just don't get the the 82 Parcus. That one isn't compatible. For a full list of compatible models, refer to section 1.3 of the manual.

You will also need a 2.5mm jack adapter/cable and a link cable, more info on that here.

If anyone is encountering the pesky error where TiPL cannot detect your TI-84+ via. Direct Link (mini A USB to USB), you can load up LibUSB-Win32, search for your calculator (and ensure it's turned on and plugged in), install, then load up TiPL again and you should be able to transfer Doors and HT2 without an issue.

So I've been busily working away at tracking with HT2, and I've got a sound test up. Let me know what you think. (It's all mono, due to the fact that the only 2.5 to 3.5 adapter I have is a crap one meant for a phone, haha.)

Just succeed to install it on a TI82 from 1993, with a generic graylink (usb/minijack) cable, transfering from Tilp2 on windows 7 (64bit).It took me all the night to make this setup work, it was a bit tricky, so let's share what I just learn (also note it somewhere for me later).

windows 7 + TI82 + graylink setup

#1 = install driver for graylinkboot computer and do not plug your link deviceIf your graylink cable is PL2303TA based, you need this specific usb-serial driver (others will not work) : http://www.prolific.com.tw/US/ShowProdu mp;pcid=41plug your link device then check in your device Manager to see if everything is ok, set the comport on 1, 2, 3 or 4... more than 4 will not work.unplug your link device,reboot computer

So I've been busily working away at tracking with HT2, and I've got a sound test up. Let me know what you think. (It's all mono, due to the fact that the only 2.5 to 3.5 adapter I have is a crap one meant for a phone, haha.)

Wow Imaginary that was tight :D

Good demonstration of the pitch slides and pwm, I'm very impressed with the sound pallete you put together! It's making me even more impatient to get mine, I can't wait to start banging it out!!

I've been in touch with the maintainer of TiLP, seems some things (like BlackLink support under Windows) are indeed broken at the moment. He's aware of it, he just needs to find some free time to fix those issues.

atomsmasha, there are actually some designs for TI backlights floating around, though I'm afraid they might have some impact on the sound quality. I've seen a basic pitch mod somewhere, too. I have zero talent when it comes to hw modding though, so I'd rather leave these things for other people to figure out

Enter the problem: When tracks are synchronized to begin at the same time all seems to be well for most of the song, but when the 3/4 mark (or so) is reached things begin to drift out of synch. Why? here are some theories:

CPU usage is possibly lower during certain parts of the song when channels are muted, causing the active channel to play back at faster speeds?

Something having to do with recording latency/buffering in Audacity, or perhaps exporting to WAV? (I make no claims as far as being a recording engineer. My current buffer setting is at 100 milliseconds, and my current "Latency correction" is at -130 milliseconds.)

It seems that channels that have rests (no notes sounding) seem to go out of synch more quickly than others.

The recording up on soundcloud was recorded as a single track (full channel playback) with no EQ or mastering.The four-track recording of each isolated channel sounds incredibly crisp and dynamic in comparison, but it's syncing issue makes it nonviable in the end.

I'm hoping this is a technique problem on my end, and that isolated channel recording with HT2 is fully possible.

CPU usage is possibly lower during certain parts of the song when channels are muted, causing the active channel to play back at faster speeds?

I think that's the point. Drums for example could/shoud make the whole song slower. (It does for the most 1-bit engines that i know, not 100% sure about that on HT2, but irrlicht project could answer that, for sure!)

Imaginary wrote:

I'm hoping this is a technique problem on my end, and that isolated channel recording with HT2 is fully possible.

If anyone has any experience with this sort of thing let me know!

You can do the following trick, if you don't really need the stereo panning option. But you should have a cable that could do it.It's not like 4 single channels but... maybe this helps out a little!

Pan all bass parts and drums left and all melody parts right, for example. Then give the left and the right output a single channel on your mixer. Now you can have diffrent EQ Settings for your Bass/drums and melody!

Not optimal for recording if you don't have a real multi-tracker, but maybe this helps out a bit.

Edit: method produces some clicking caused by panning.(I'm really thinking of how to get 4 seperate channels recorded in sync, as well atm.)

Then: Pan all channles right except the first channel and just record the left output. Let everything else run on the right side, but don't plug in the cable for that. (So for example drums will play and slow the song down, but won't get recorded...)After that pan all channels left except the 2nd channel and just record that.. And so on!